Colonel Aleksey came to his cell door just as he had in her memory, saying things she had long forgotten.
...had she really forgotten?
"Cocolia, I know you send money back to the orphanage every month. Those children are important to you, aren't they? And you need money, don't you?!"
No, she could never forget...
It was from this moment that she realized the corruption in her army, the corruption in her country...
Perhaps she had realized it a month earlier, in the military tribunal, when Colonel Aleksey and Major General Ivan corroborated their stories, framing her as the one who had set them up.
They really had a conscience, didn't they... not turning the tables and pinning the crime of selling military arms on her...
"Enough!" the Aleksey in her memory roared. "I need money! My daughter is about to be born, and my meager salary can't support her and her mother..."
How tragic... In this country rife with undercurrents, the army could only support itself by selling military arms...
Cocolia lowered her eyes. She knew what she was here to do.
Colonel Aleksey's daughter was about to be born... was Bronya about to be born?
The Key of Remembrance said to replace the anchor. Did that mean she had to find Bronya first?
Suddenly, Cocolia turned her head. The next moment, a violent explosion destroyed everything.
The prison cell became ruins. Cocolia saw the sunlight again amidst a pile of rubble.
Aleksey was buried beneath the debris. Amidst the ringing in Cocolia's ears, the colonel managed to leave one last sentence.
"Save... my wife..."
Save... her?
Cocolia looked silently at the man buried beneath the rubble. He had once been an upright and honest man, but had been gradually corrupted.
The roar of an engine signaled another change in the scene.
It was her past self, finding a pistol and car keys on the colonel's body.
Amidst the flying shells of the rebels, she found the car in the parking lot. And when the car door opened, Cocolia saw the woman who had been sitting by the fireplace earlier.
"...Who... are you?"
Surprise and panic were evident on the pregnant woman's face. She was clearly a woman who had lived a pampered life. Although she was gentle and intellectual, she had no awareness of danger.
She even grabbed Cocolia's arm, anxiously demanding to know where her husband was.
Then Cocolia pointed her gun at her.
What was I thinking at the time?
I want to live... The children at the orphanage still need me. I must live, by any means, at any cost!
In this country where even the orphanage received no aid... live.
The artillery fire seemed to have eyes, constantly nipping at their heels. Cocolia fled frantically with the woman, who had fallen silent out of fear.
But the car soon ran out of fuel and stopped in the snow. The encircling rebel forces quickly surrounded them.
The moment they saw the military uniform on Cocolia, the faces of these emaciated rebels were filled with fear, anger, and hatred. It looked as if they were about to tear the two of them to pieces.
She had a weapon in her hand, but there were too many people around. She didn't dare to shoot, only able to rely on the deterrence of her weapon to temporarily delay the appearance of a "leader."
The woman was sobbing softly in the car, in a way that didn't make you hate her.
Suddenly, Cocolia felt a sense of anticipation.
This was it... next...
"Please be careful!"
A pure white flower drifted down onto this snow-covered ground, which was already corrupted and filled with filth and stench. Cocolia watched as a figure landed lightly in front of them.
The long white hair was purer than the snow, making one unable to look directly at it, unwilling to desecrate it...
Seeing her appear, the rebels were clearly in a panic. A few who looked like leaders nervously exchanged a few words with the suddenly appeared woman, then left with resentment.
They had let go of their hatred... because of that woman...
"To be able to meet you at a time like this... is truly wonderful." She turned her head and gave them a tearful smile.
She had escaped... and that woman had taken Bronya's mother away.
The repeated fright and fear had caused some problems with Bronya's mother's health. The white-haired woman wanted to take her away, but Cocolia refused. She wanted to return to the orphanage.
The perspective finally changed. Cocolia watched as the white-haired woman took the woman named Alexandra to Future City and met its supreme leader.
Joyce and Darwin accepted the white-haired girl's request and helped Alexandra recover.
They were willing to let Alexandra stay in Future City, a place everyone in the world dreamed of getting into.
But Alexandra refused.
She wanted to return to that frozen land to find her husband's remains.
She left with an old man named John, embarking on a journey to that frozen land. She provided the old man with initial intelligence, helping him establish a foothold in Siberia.
Then she set out on the path to find her husband's remains, but...
...she was sent back after being infected with the "Blood Agate."
There was only a string of genetic code... If used when the child was born, the Blood Agate would only remain in one person's body.
And that person would surely die.
Crackle...
A faint crackling sound came from the burning firewood.
Cocolia returned to the window, watching Alexandra softly say goodbye to the child in her womb.
In front of the fireplace, Alexandra gently stroked her belly, a smile on her face.
"If... someone has to die here today... I hope it will be me...
"I don't know what you will encounter when you come into this world... Perhaps you will only face endless darkness and pain..."
Cocolia thought of this country, this turmoil...
Warlords carving up territories, mercenaries fighting in a free-for-all. The stench of profit was everywhere, and the decay of power had left this place in ruins.
Too many people had lost themselves here, were left with wounds, died in a hail of bullets for a "mission," and ended their desperate lives because of their pain.
This world was not a beautiful place.
"I wish... that others will treat you like family.
"I wish... that you will meet a few friends who are willing to give their true hearts, to guide you onto the right path, and to find what you love.
"If you are lucky, you will find your passion and make it your life's work."
Alexandra closed her eyes.
"I wish—that you can have a life of your own, find your own meaning, and run toward your own future..."
...
"I really want... to see Machu Picchu..."